From Hooves to Heart
by TheRoyalPrussianArmy
Summary: AU!PruCan Matthew and his brother Alfred are working at a barn run by two men known as "Fritz" and "Romulus". Strange things begin to happen as the two get closer to their leased horses. Rated for Gilbert's awesome language in later chapters.
1. Prologue to Awesomeness

**I do not own Hetalia. Clearly. I could never create somebone as Awesome as Prussia. :)**

**Anywayz~ This thing got stuck in my head as I was cleaning stalls. Yes, I do actually work around horses so I do know what I'm talking about here ;) There're gonna be three obvious pairings- GerIta (duh) Spamano (lolyah) and PruCan (I kinda worship this one a little |D). I'm thinking about putting America with Russia, because France and Russia are gonna be horses and... Well, I can't tell you too much more... Take all the surprise out ;) Still...**

**Please reveiw... This is only the prologue, it'll get better I (hope) promise!**

* * *

The cremello colt snorted. His white mane was thrown about wildly as he shook his head. His brother, a palomino, stood next to him. The golden colt, just two years younger than the cremello, was far calmer.

"You sure you want them? The white'll be a handful." A man's deep voice said. Another man-who the cremello already thought of as Gramps for his older way of speaking-peered at the two young foals. He was quiet for a moment.

"Yep. They're perfect." He said after a minute. With a nod and a handshake the seller left with almost ten thousand dollars.

"Hello, Beilschmidt boys." Gramps took the leadlines off of the post to which the colts were tied. The cremello colt pinned his ears and snapped at the man.

"Ah! No, Gilbert!" The colt was smacked, not roughly but clearly a warning.

_"How do you know our names?"_ Gilbert kept his ears back, though interested.

"Well… I am your grandfather." Gilbert stared incredulously at the man.

_"What?"_ He whinnied, pawing at the ground, _"How? You're human! We're Equisapians!"_ The older man rolled his eyes.

"Foal, you've a lot to learn. Now come along. I'll tell you later when we get home." Gramps growled. Gilbert stomped his left foreleg, shaking his head.

_"Whatever bro. I don't believe you."_ He then turned to the palomino, _"C'mon Ludwig. We're going to live with Gramps here."_ The palomino colt only flicked his ears in response.

* * *

A few years later…

"Mattie! Mattie, baby boy, look! You too, Alfie! Ponies!" A woman's voice broke through the two blonds' thoughts. Matthew, the younger, was slower to look out the window.

"OH WOW MOMMY LOOK! There's a white one and a yellow one and a brown one and a gray one and-" Alfred began screaming. Matthew looked out, far calmer than his older twin.

"Mommy, I want a pony! Can we get a pony? I want a pony! Mommy-" Alfred demanded.

"Mmm… Maybe Alfie. What do you think Mattie?" Their mother turned with a smile. Matthew only smiled in return before turning to look out the window again. The white one had seen their car-the only one on the road-and ran up to the fence. It paused before taking off after the car. Its white mane blew in the wind it created and it quickly gained on their vehicle. Matthew watched in interest. Like all children, he loved ponies and horses. When it reached the fence it stopped, rearing up a bit, and then trotted back to where it had run from. The white foal's herd snorted and shuffled as it ran back, pushing through them rudely. Many kicked their butts up at it, but it clearly didn't care.

"Do you like ponies Mattie?" The boys' mother asked again. After a moment's consideration, Matthew nodded.


	2. Set the Stage, Fritz

**Alrighty guys, chapter one~ I hope you enjoy it. Took me a while to get an idea (I typed it up in graphic design last week and tried to send it to myself but it failed. Took me today to get motivation back, and I already have another idea xD) but I got it~ I know exactly where this story is heading (honest! mostly...) Tell me what you think and if you have any questions! I got the lemonsilla color from**

**http:/ ginging ray. wantless power. com/ HorseColors. html**

**Just delete the spaces. I couldn't think of another goldy colors so I had to go look it up :I**

**The different language in this chapter is _mon dieu _and _arschloch. _I used google translator, so blame it.**

_**Mon dieu**_**-My god (French)**

_**Arschloch**_**- Asshole (German)**

**Enjoy, and please R&R! R&R gives me motivation! 8D**

* * *

"Alfred… Mr. Puck would like to see you…" Matthew's knew he had been quiet. He also knew that, despite claiming otherwise, his older twin had heard him. Because he could hear drawers slam and the closet opening. The blond tapped on his brother's door with his hockey stick, once, twice, three-

"Alright, Matt I'm up!" Alfred opened his door in a hurry, almost impaling himself on Matthew's hockey stick in his rush to get out the door. Matthew grinned innocently at his brother.

"Mom's got breakfast ready. And we have five minutes. So either you and Mr. Puck have a conversation, or you go downstairs and-…" His threat was unfinished as Alfred practically flew down the stairs. Matthew set the hockey stick down outside his own door, on the other side of the hall, and followed the taller blonde. He went down the two flights slowly because he was ready to leave. Glasses? Always. Jacket? Just in case. License? Yep. Older brother ready to go? …Getting there. Wallet? Of course. He was always ready, even if he had never been a boy scout.

Matthew found Alfred scarfing down his breakfast in front of their mother. The blonde woman smiled gently at her Canadian son.

"Morning darlin'. " She said. Matthew smiled back.

"Good. I got Alfie up, see!" Matthew walked over to his mother and hugged her. Although he was almost a foot taller than her, he adored the woman. Even when he was little, they had always been close friends. When Matthew decided to pursue hockey, his mother encouraged him. She even helped him practice, and they often started a fist-fight between themselves on the ice. Alfred couldn't say that, and Matthew was often proudly sporting a black eye given by his mother. The younger blonde claimed that it helped release tensions and helped their relationship.

"Yes, you did. I heard something about a conversation with Mr. Puck…" Anilla raised an eyebrow. Matthew stepped back and shrugged innocently. All he heard from Alfred after the mention of his hockey stick was bare feet slamming up the steps.

"You know Al. Won't get up without… Inspiration."

"I know. You did good. Who's driving?"

"Al. As terrifying as that is… We'll get there faster." Matthew grimaced at the thought of his brother driving. Alfred was a speed demon, and shouted at people who were going to slow. Otherwise, the speed known as the speed-_limit_. Alfred was heading back downstairs.

"Mmm… Okay, if you think that's safe." Anilla hummed in worry. Alfred, although only 17, had already been in three crashes. After having his license for a year.

"Not at all. But we might be late as it is." Matthew shrugged. He trotted out the door after Alfred, who was already blaring music in their shared cerulean blue Xterra. With practiced speed he leaped through the door, buckled up, and grabbed what they affectionately called the "Oh shit!" bar above his head. As Alfred peeled out of the driveway, they waved goodbye to their mother.

* * *

"OH _MON DIEU! _ALFRED! SLOW GERTRUDE DOWN, PLEASE!" Matthew screamed. They were pushing 100 as they exited into the country.

"CAN'T HEAR YA' MATTIE!" Alfred screamed back with a smirk. Conversation with Mr. Puck, huh? Well, Matthew could deal with his speedy little girl. He gave the Xterra a loving pat. "Good girl, Gertrude." The American cooed to the car.

_"I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die!"_ Matthew thought repeatedly, terror showing in his face. His glasses had fallen off about four miles ago, and he was clinging to the "Oh shit!" bar for dear life.

"ALFRED TURN HERE!" He screamed as they almost missed their stop a few minutes later. He had recovered his glasses when they flew forward after a hard stomp about ten miles before. Alfred slammed on the brakes and jerked the steering wheel. Matthew was sure that Gertrude had gotten up on her two side wheels before slamming down onto four and taking off down the dirt road. Alfred went slower, given as they now had five extra minutes. Matthew was pale, and he let go of the bar. "I think I'm gonna… Sleep now…" He muttered, and passed out.

"Oops… A bit too hairy then, Mattie? Sorry bro. Good job, Gertrude." Alfred chuckled. This wasn't the first time Mattie had passed out in the car, and Alfred was sure it wouldn't be the last.

* * *

"Und… Mr. Williams is passed out… Vhy?" 'Fritz' asked, raising a golden eyebrow. Alfred mentally shook himself from staring at those perfect golden brows.

"He… Got… Carsick?" The 17 year old attempted with a smile. Fritz didn't look amused.

"How fast did you drive?" He asked.

"On the way here or the dirt road?" Alfred hedged. Fritz said nothing, just closed his eyes and counted to ten. Counting Alfred and Matthew, there were two Italians and a Finnish guy. The Italians were standing together and the Finnish guy, Tino, was sitting next to Matthew on the ground.

"Oh… _Dieu…_" Matthew groaned as he woke.

"Ah, Matthew! You are alive!" Tino said with a smile. Matthew opened his eyes, blinked, and waved his hand over his face.

"Uh, yes… I am. No thanks to Alfred. By the way… Where is he? Just wait till we get home, Alfie… Mr. Puck is gonna have a lot to say to you. Where're my glasses?" Matthew growled out. Everything close to him was blurred, even Tino who was barely a foot away.

"How're you gonna get home, Matt?" Alfred taunted from a safe distance next to Fritz. The German man eyed the exchange, already sizing up the humans.

"I'll steal Gertrude. After I get my glasses." Matthew leaned forward, using his core to help him. He turned his gaze in the general direction his brother's voice had come from, narrowing his blue-violet eyes. Alfred rolled his eyes. Tino got up and walked over to Gertrude.

"Eh, Matthew. Where're your glasses?" He asked. Matthew turned his head, squinting, and stood up. He was very unsteady on his feet, being unable to see and everything blurred. He shuffled over to where the blue blur was.

"Um… Check the floor." He sighed. Tino found his glasses quickly, and Matthew thankfully grabbed them and put them on. "Ah! Lovino, Feliciano! You two are here as well?" Lovino nodded, glaring at Alfred. Alfred was staring at Fritz's eyebrows again. Fritz was looking at Feliciano, who was standing there talking to himself about pasta, eyes shut. Tino closed Gertrude's door, and stood next to Matthew.

"Ah, Mr. Fritz… When do we start?" The Finnish teen asked sweetly.

"Ah. Right. Eh, vollow me." Fritz said, turning and walking into the barn where the five were going to start working.

"Gilbert, up and at 'em." Ludwig kicked at the wall that separated him from his brother. Gilbert was on the ground, asleep. "Gilbert… Oy, Gilbert." He sighed, seeing his brother wasn't about to awake. _"Fritz! Gilbert isn't waking up!"_ He whinnied loudly.

"Was that one of the horses?" A high-pitched voice asked. Ludwig walked to the front of his stall. He put his head out of the opening, and turned his eyes toward the group. An Italian boy, well, the shorter Italian boy, looked excited. Why weren't his eyes open?

"Ah, yes. This good-looking ztud is Ludwig. He is from the Beilschmidt bloodline. Along with his brother, Gilbert." Fritz informed the group as he walked over to where the palomino stood. "And Gilbert is… Sleeping. You five ztay here, I'll be back." Fritz walked toward the end of the corridor. More horses were poking their heads over doors. There was another palomino, a dunskin, and a dark bay who were the first.

_"Honhonhon… Gilbert's going to get it."_ Francis, the other palomino, chortled.

_"Shut your face, you stupid frog. Fritz would never hit any of us. He's just going to use bribes, idiot."_ Arthur, the dunskin, pinned his ears at his neighbor.

_"Aw! Look at that little Italian! I bet he likes tomatos!"_ Antonio whinnied. Francis and Arthur turned their heads.

_"Ah, Tonio dear lad… Why do you say that?"_ Arthur asked.

_"Because. I do."_ Antonio retorted. _"And I call dibs on him."_

_"Fr'tz is g'tt'ng f'd, r't?"_ Berwald, a lemonsilla stallion, walked to the edge of his door.

_"Indeed, Berwald. To wake up our sleeping cremello."_ Francis flipped his ears. Berwald turned his tired gaze to the humans.

"Alfred…" Matthew said.

"Woah, dude! Look at all of them!" Alfred ignored his brother, turning around to look at the horses on their other side. "It's like they're talking to each other!"

"Zhey ahre." Fritz returned with a bucket that rattled. Some of the horses began to paw at their doors. "In fact, zhey know what is going on. Ah, one moment, please." He walked toward the stall next to Ludwig. Feliciano followed, looking at the palomino.

"You're so pretty!" He said, opening his eyes to get a better look at the stallion. Matthew, Lovino, Alfred, and Tino all stopped. Fritz noticed and shot them a questioning glance. But Feliciano closed his eyes again, and they resumed their movements. Without further ado, Fritz began to bang the bucket against Gilbert's stall door. The cremello stallion's head shot up. As the group watched, he put his front legs forward and heaved. Then he pushed with his back legs and was up. Quicker than they realized, he was at the gate and reaching for the bucket of food. Only Fritz had seen this, many times before, and moved back.

Gilbert's chest slammed against the door, and he pinned his ears.

_"Dirty trick, arschloch."_ Gilbert glared at Fritz. Fritz gave a brief smirk and a shrug.

"Now that we ahre all present and awake, these ahre the stallions. Francis, Arthur, Antonio, and Berwald ahre over there. These two, as you know, ahre Ludwig and Gilbert. In fact, they ahre brothers, though you'd never tell from their personalities. There ahre more horses, but these six ahre the ones you'll mostly be handling for now." Fritz informed the boys. Matthew looked doubtful and a bit nervous. Gilbert's show had installed a new "respect" in him. But he straightened his shoulders after a sigh.

_You knew they were dangerous when you told Mom about this. Don't back down now. You don't back down at hockey, you fight._ He thought, looking at his eager twin. Only then did he realize that he had been left at the back. With a roll of his eyes, he moved toward the group. He wasn't surprised-people often forgot about him and left him like this.

"Since you'll all be working here, you will be assigned horses." Fritz eyed the boys for a moment before heading to a room. The boys were uncertain if they should follow. After a brief moment of looking at each other they moved to follow. Where Fritz stood, there were rope halters. Each was a different color. Fritz picked out red, blue, green, an icy blue, and a darker green one. He turned to the boys.

"Feliciano," He held out the ice blue halter. The Italian took it with a wide smile, as always. Lovino got the green halter, Tino the blue, and Alfred the dark green. For a moment Fritz looked confused as to why he held a red halter. Then he saw Matthew move. "Matthew." Fritz said and waited for the blonde to grab it. Matthew did so, a small nervous smile on his face. Fritz nodded.

"Now then. Lovino, you get Antonio. He's the dark bay. Alfred, you get Arthur, the dunskin on the right of Toni. Tino, Berwald. The lemonsilla-ehr, the goldish one. Next to Arthur. Feliciano, Ludwig. And Matthew…" Fritz eyed the boy. He was never wrong on these things, but this matchup made him just the slightest bit nervous. Matthew titled his head in a silent question.

"Gilbert."

* * *

**For those of you who didn't understand Berwald's question, he said "Fritz is getting food, right?"**

**:)**


	3. Cleaning and History?

**Welcome to Chapter two! In which the stallions are cleaned, and we learn a bit of Matthew's horsey history! Given as this is PruCan, you won't get much on the others. THOUGH YOU WILL GET SOME. lol get some.**

**In any case, Hetalia is NOT MINE. If it was, PruCan would be official. Duh xD As would GerIta, SuFin, and Spamano but... That's beside the point!**

**ENJOY! I can't do accents for the life of me... And there is no foreign language in this chapter, I believe. Horsey-related things at the end~ Ve~~**

* * *

"E-eh? Gilbert? The, uh… The one that…" Matthew stammered, still grabbing the halter from the blonde.

"_Ja_. He won't hurt you. He's all show." Fritz said, trying to calm the boy. Matthew's hand was trembling, but only his hand. There was something in him that Fritz could see. Something that made him sure that Matthew wouldn't let Gilbert step over him. At least, not for long. Matthew took a few deep breathes and nodded.

"I, ah… 'S been a while since I've been around horses. At least it's like riding a bike though. Once you learn you don't forget." Matthew tilted his head with a smile. Fritz noticed a small curl fall from his head, and he nodded.

"Indeed." He murmured. The rest of the boys had already gone to where their horse's stalls were.

"Ve~ Ludwig~ You're such a pretty boy." Feliciano sang happily. Ludwig simply flicked his ears at the Italian and swished his tail once. Feliciano, moving like a dancer, walked to stand on Ludwig's left side.

"By his shoulder, Feliciano, and he'll turn his head to you so you can put that on." Fritz called over the door. Feliciano nodded, and stepped backward so his hip was on Ludwig's golden shoulder. The palomino turned his head a little, and his training kicked in. The large head move over to where Feliciano was, and he waited patiently for the brunette to tie his halter. He knew the ice blue matched his eyes. He'd helped Fritz chose out his halter, actually.

"Tino, don't worry about Berwald. He always looks angry. Lovino, Antonio just wants you to rub his shoulder. Alfred, don't tell Arthur about hamburgers. Tino, your finger points to how you tie the halter. Ah, no, Lovino, Antonio is not a bastard, just a lover." Fritz kept up a commentary for the four boys, forgetting about Matthew.

Matthew moved to Gilbert's stall door. The stallion looked at him and pinned his ears before turning around so his but faced the door. Matthew simply tilted his head to look at him.

"So you're that type of guy, huh? I've dealt with worse though. It's been a few years, but I haven't forgotten." Matthew flicked the rope at Gilbert's hind end, not hitting him but getting close. He stared at the haunch of the horse, knowing Gilbert felt it by the way the cremello flicked his tail and shook his head. Matt flicked the rope again. "Two… Three… _Move_." His voice suddenly changed, becoming more commanding. The leather end of the red lead line hit Gilbert's butt. The stallion kicked out, turning his head to glare at Matthew. Matthew didn't care; he just gazed at Gilbert with a 'Try me again' look.

"Please? I won't hit you again if you turn." Matthew said. He only had to flick Gilbert with the end once more before the stallion turned. Only then did he step into the stall. "Thank you." Matthew smiled, moving towards the horse's shoulder. When Gilbert pinned his ears, Matthew frowned. He leaned toward the hip and snapped. "I don't think so!" The blond growled. Gilbert was surprised and looked toward Matthew more. The boy glared at him, his pale face set in an adorable pout. He may be quiet, but Gilbert now saw something that he wanted to test. Well, he'd do it later. For now he let Matthew put the lead line on his head and take him out of his stall.

* * *

"No, Alfred, we do not have a beach. No, no, bareback riding on a beach won't be possible. No, we don't have hamburgers either. Tino, Berwald likes it if you scratch the back of his hooves when you're done. Francis! Shut up! We've got somebody coming for you tomorrow! Jesus… When is Roma getting here?" Fritz pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes.

"Ah, Fritz… Sir? Mr. Fritz? Ah, where do you want me to take… Fritz?" Matthew attempted to call to the man. The blonde didn't notice, his back turned and Matt's invisibility turning on. Gilbert rolled his eyes.

_"Hey! Gramps! The kid's talkin' to ya!"_ Gilbert huffed loudly. Fritz turned towards them. Then he remembered Matthew.

"Oh! Matthew, right! Ah, juest grab a brush bahx and clean Gilbert up." The long-haired blonde blinked. Matthew nodded and tied Gilbert to an empty post. The stallion turned to look at the blonde as he managed to walk past Antonio and Lovino without either realizing it. He pricked his ears in wonder.

Matthew grabbed a box and headed back. Already the invisibility was kicking in. Pretty soon he'd start shocking Gilbert when he went to get the stallion. It always happened. The horse he was around would see him. A few days later, the horse would start forgetting who he was. Then, when he'd begin to ride, he'd be ignored or forgotten. Always. Alfred was an excellent rider, thanks to his loud-mouthed personality and the fact that people never missed him. So when he spied Gilbert looking at him, he couldn't help but hope that maybe this horse would remember him.

"Heh, you see me now." He said as he began to use a curry on the white stallion, "But watch. In a few days, I'll go into your stall and you'll ignore me. Always happens. See, the first time this happened I was… Eight. The horse, Fluzzy, was really sweet. I gave him carrots and apples, sugar cubes… I adored him. He was a fifteen year old gelding. We were good together. At least, for a week. And then he began forgetting I was there. I'd be cleaning his foot and he'd forget I was there and set it down. I broke two toes." Matthew smiled ruefully. The roan horse he'd taken care had not been beautiful by any means. To Matthew, though, he had been the best horse in the world. Even when the gelding forgot Matthew was riding. "But after a while, Fluz would just completely forget and no matter what I did he wouldn't respond. So they let me use a different horse. But it happened again. Everywhere we went, the horses forgot me. Just like people do. But that's okay, I'm used to it. And in four days, Alfred will probably be coming alone, because nobody will remember me, and there'll be no reason for me to come anymore."

Gilbert wasn't really sure what this meant. How did people-and animals for that matter-just forget a person? Even if they were in the same room? He had just seen Fritz do it, but he didn't understand why. In any case, he gave a horsey eye roll-lifting and then lowering his head while giving a low-pitched, soft whinny. Matthew simply smiled softly and finished brushing him. Fritz was still talking to the others as Matthew, even diligent about every speck of dust, finished first.

"You-a did a fine-a job!" A new voice told Matthew. The timid blonde jumped a little, accidentally hitting Gilbert. Gilbert replied by pinning his ears and swinging his head at Matthew. Matthew took a step back and hit somebody's chest. He then turned a saw a tall man with messy dark brown hair and amber eyes, much like Feliciano's.

"Ah! Romulus! It's about time!" Fritz turned to see his work partner standing by Gilbert. Why was Gilbert… Oh, right, Matthew.

"Fitzgerald! Come look at Gilbert! He is so shiny and smooth~" Romulus practically purred, rubbing his face on Gilbert's back. If Gilbert hadn't have been tied he would have swung his head back to bite the annoying Italian. As it was, he could only pin his ears and stomp his back feet.

"Romulus, off the horse. Good job, Matthew. Next is stall duty, so I will take Gilbert. I'm going to have a conversation with all my boys while you clean stalls." Fritz held his hand out for Gilbert's lead line. Matthew untied it, closing his mouth. It had opened when he found out Fritz's name. Fitzgerald? Gosh, Alfred's middle name was Fitzgerald! What an amusing coincidence!

"Ah, yes sir. Here sir." Matthew handed him the lead line, grabbing a muck rake. He noticed wheel barrows, and saw Fritz simply nod. Romulus had wandered over to the others.

"Arthur, you look lovely and your hooves are so shiny! Antonio, don't climb on my poor grandson! You're too heavy! Berwald, don't pin your ears, it makes you look terrifying! Ludwig, loosen up. Ah, Feli and Lovi! So good to see my grandsons working at my barn!" Romulus practically attacked his teenage relatives in a bear hug. Lovino, true to form, tried to break free. He hissed swear words, loud enough only for him to hear. Romulus had once belted him for each swear word Lovino had said around him. Feliciano hugged back.

"Grandpa Roma! I didn't-a know you-a worked here too!" Feliciano said happily.

"Si! Fitzger-ah, that is-a, Fritz and I own this place together!" Romulus informed him.

"Ve~ I'm so lucky! Now I get to see you every day!"

"Let go of me!" Lovino broke in, opening his mouth and preparing to bite down. Romulus let him go. The brunette's knees almost gave out on him, and he barely managed to catch himself. Muttering curses, he went back to Antonio who began to lip at his shirt. "Stop it!" Lovino growled and moved away.

Alfred was brushing Arthur's mane, telling the stallion about his football and things. "I'm the hero! Everybody always looks to me when they need help! Mattie plays hockey, but that's not nearly as cool as football! Speaking of Mattie, where is- Ah, stall duty. Coolio." He finished, and handed Arthur to Fritz. "See you later, Iggy!"

* * *

When all the horses were finished, Fritz took them into the large round pen and had them look at him.

"Boys, you take care of these new kids okay? They are yours now, and if anything happens to them that you could have prevented, things will not be pleasant. Got it? Good. Now, you guys are gonna have to see them tonight." Fritz began speaking to them.

_"Gramps, what are you talking about? We don't even know where they live!"_ Gilbert snorted. Fritz glared at him, and Gilbert took a step back.

"Dreams, you idiot. Dream-speak them. Teach them to ride, what you each like, quirks, anything! Just don't tell them about _this_. They aren't ready for it. And who knows when they will be." Fritz thought for a moment. "Also, if any of you tries anything on them, you will be gelded. Just letting you all know." The stallions all stepped back from Fritz, already imagining the pain.

"Since you all understand…" Fritz let them loose into the paddock that was connected to the circle pen. The horses thundered out and Fritz turned around. He really needed to change back one of these days and feel the wind and power again. "I hate babysitting…"

* * *

Romulus examined all of the stalls with a critical eye. He was normally quite carefree and easygoing, but when it came to his horses he was like a drill sergeant. All the boys stood in front of their respective stalls, hoping to pass. Feliciano had had to clean his again, Lovino hadn't finished and Romulus had told him where else to clean, and Tino was singing as he did his. Matthew had finished after about an hour, sweat dripping down his forehead, neck, chest… Gilbert's stall was so dirty that he'd had to clean both the sand in his small turnout, and the straw that loosely covered the rubber floor. He had also cleaned the water trough, and then had to wipe the water into the sand. Alfred stood outside Arthur's door, looking back in. He had, surprisingly, cleaned up everything. Quickly, though that itself wasn't surprising considering his energy level.

"You pass." Romulus nodded to Alfred and Tino. He turned around to where Feliciano was standing, next to a slightly nervous Matthew. Romulus walked over, his smiling face serious. That worried Matthew even more.

"M-maple…" He muttered. 'Maple' was something he'd picked up as a mock swear. When other people he knew started using 'fuck' and 'shit' and other words that were too strong for his liking, he had begun making them up. Maple was his most favorite and most said.

"Feli… This is-a approved. Matthew…" Romulus peered in, squinting his eyes. Hell, even the walls were now clean! He could see the stallions playing through the open sandy turnout. "Good-a job." Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. He'd passed. Romulus, satisfied with everyone's cleaning, showed them where to dump the manure and straw. "This is-a all part of your-a daily work. You come, clean-a stalls, clean-a horses, and do other chores we request-a you do. Then-a you get a lesson. Or-a, as we prefer to call it, play. Since it's your first day, you may all explore. But please-a, no screaming or-a fighting!" Then he smiled, "Unless I am-a involved, of course!"

The boys spread, Lovino and Feliciano going one way, Alfred and Tino another, and Matthew being left on his own. The blonde looked at his feet, and then at the paddock. He moved through Gilbert's stall, crawling through the open bars in the back, and walked over to where the stallions were now grazing. He smiled ruefully as he thought of the horses he'd previously taken care of. The Canadian could ride, quite well despite his quite nature, but he had to have a responsive horse. Mattie wasn't sure how Gilbert would react to his soft cues, and began to worry a bit. Then he sighed and let his shoulders sag. He hunched over onto the bar, placing his head on one of the warming rails.

"It doesn't matter, they'll all forget about me in three or four days…" Matthew muttered.

* * *

**Hmm... Scrolling down this seems really, really short... Scares me how short it looks.**

**In any case, horsey-related things:**

**Rope halter: http:/ www. chicksaddlery. com /Merchant2/ graphics/ 00000001/ MRH101. JPG Remove spaces, this is what they look like. Also: http:/ www. thinklikeahorse. org /images/parts. jpg**

**Lead Line: Also called a lead rope. http: 7. com/is/image/ EquestrianCollections/HW00289-a?$oldimage$ Lead lines are wrapped so pretty when first bought~ http:/ www. yknotropetack. com/prodimages/3-10%20New%20Pics/Lead%20rope-spliced%20in%20snap-tan. jpg**

**Round Pen: http:/ www. tritonbarns. com /images/equine/round_pens. gif Literally, a round pen. The fences can be wooden or poles. The barn where our boys are at has multiple, due to it being a large working facility.**

**Brush Box: http:/ www. alicekelsey. com/ woodworking/images/ Walnut%20brush%20box_JPG. jpg Usually contains a curry comb, a hard brush, a soft brush, a hair brush, and a hoof pick at the very least.**

**Curry Comb: http:/www. /var/question/ q/q3/q32/q325/q3254/q325423_535993_61y6aphwacl_sl500_aa280_. jpg Usually made of rubby. Some are stiffer than others. The type shown here is my favorite to use on my horse, since it is firm but flexible, and rather stiff so it gets dried mud off easier. Haha, dried mud in Nevada... You use it on their neck, upper legs, and body. Do NOT use it on their heads or faces! That would be the equivilent of somebody wearing gloves and then rubbing your face roughly!**

**Hard Brush: http: . com/u/4942182_f260. jpg Hard brushes have stiffer bristles than soft brushes. Same as a curry, you use it on a horse's neck, body, and upper legs. Do NOT use it on their head/face!**

**Soft brush: http:/ . com/products -pictures/250/gd-asset_19479751. jpg You use these on a horse's body, legs, AND you can use it on their face! Be gentle with it though.**

**Yes, regular hairbrushes work on horses. I have a nice wooden one I use on my horse...**

**Hoofpick: http:/ www. /dealers/press/red%20hoof%20pick. jpg There are different types, but I find this one has the best "balance" and "leverage" for my hand, making it very comfy to use~**

**All of these can come in different colors/styles. There's more, but I feel i've exploded your brain enough for now~**

**If a horse puts it hoof on your foot, it CAN break your foot/toes. My foot has been stepped on numerous times, but I've managed to get my feet either out of the way or get the horse off quick enough that I suffered no injury.**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The action should start soonish! Review? :)**


	4. First Night's Dream

**Hey guys~ Sorry for the late update! Busy week! Almost 2k words in this one~ proud of myself~**

**Ok. Here on out, things should get interesting. Gilbird WAS going to be introduced in this chapter, but I thought of something better~ He'll be discovered NEXT chapter isntead! 8D**

**And... I love apples :) You will understand once you finish this chapter~**

**Kesesesese!**

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Chapter Three

Matthew drove home that night. It was almost 10 at night, and Alfred was sleeping in the passenger seat. They had somehow wound up with Tino, Lovino, and Feliciano as well. Matthew wasn't entirely sure how. In fact, they had one seat left.

_We'll leave that one for the person who'll work with Francis._ He thought with a small, amused smile. The blonde had the radio turned very low, given as everybody else in the Xterra was sleeping. Lovino had his head on the window, scowling as usual. Feliciano had his head on his brother's shoulder, his arms around the other teen's torsoe. Tino had his legs curled in front of him, holding them with arms clenched to his pants. Alfred was sleeping with his mouth open, snoring, head on the seat belt.

It was a quiet ride, which Matthew really enjoyed. The day had been loud to say the least. He had explored the paddock where the horses were, and passing cars began honking at him when he reached the road. They must've thought Matt, was a girl because of the "compliments" that some would yell out at him as they passed. His face had been almost permanetly red due to it. Matthew knew his hair was longish, but not girly long! Sure he had a feminine figure, and that some girls had very small boobs, but he wasn't _that_ feminine was he? And _sure_ he had glasses, but so did a lot of guys! Eventually the Canadian decided that all the men were just huge perverts who enjoyed tormenting innocents...

_Matthew considering himself one of the innocents._

_ Gilbert had eventually wandered over to him, nipping at him and then running away when Matthew turned to scold him. The two had made a game of tag over it, and Matthew had even taken off his shirt. The day had been quite warm, and the game made him sweaty. Occasionaly he would tag Gilbert, but most of the time the stallion escaped him. And once again, Matthew had taken to speaking to the cremello._

_ "I haven't done this for a while. The forgetting got faster the more I was around horses. Admitedly I haven't really been around any since I was ten or eleven. That would make it six or seven years ago." He'd told Gilbert. "I must've saved up quite a bit of seeing time." Gilbert had done the oddest thing then. The horse had leaned over Matt's shoulder, since Matt had had his back to him, and had put his muzzle on his chest and then effectivley pulled the blonde back. Matthew had been trapped between Gilbert's massive head and large, muscled chest. Matt had felt comforted by this action, before Gilbert let him go and pushed him away. Matthew had laughed, falling onto his stomach. Gilbert had left him then, trotting away to go do some horsey things..._

Matthew made sure to keep his eyes on the road as he drove. This time of night, drivers could be drunk and dangerous. More than one of Alfred's accidents had been caused by driving on this road, back from some trip, and been hit by another driver. Although he kept the speed limit he made sure to keep out of everybody's way.

Matt wound up having to carry Alfred to his room. The taller blonde always was a deep sleeper, and it now being 11 didn't help matters. He had to weigh at least 200 lbs, and relatively little was fat. He even had the muscles to show for it. Matthew sighed as he put his brother to bed, not bother to change him. Alfred generally forgot him in the car during night-trips, consider this a meager form of revenge. The Canadian was kind enough to at least pull the covers over his brother. The night had gotten stupidly cool, defying the warmth that the sun had brought. As he went back to his own room, however, he shed his shirt. The cold had never bothered him as much as it had his American twin.

Reaching his room made Matthew realize just how tired he actually was. He didn't even bother to kick off his jeans before he fell onto his bed. Unfortunatly for him, though, his brain wouldn't rest. The blonde had to fulfill his nightly shower before he could collapse onto the delightfully messy bed. Shedding the rest of his clothes, Matthew made his way to the Jack-and-Jill bathroom he and Alfred shared. He turned the shower on hot, and stood oustide it for a moment. Then he sighed and stepped in, gasping as the burning water met his skin.

"Maple..." Matt moaned as he watched the dirt from his body go into the drain. He simply stood in the shower for about five minutes. Then he slowly began to wash his hair, rubbing his fingers in it and making small circles. On occasion he would try to massage it like they did when he trimed his hair. After shampooing and conditioning he got out the body wash. Unlike Alfred, who was sure that if he didn't use a rag to wash his body he'd get some type of disease from the bottle, Matthew simply put the stuff on his hands. Then he rubbed his hands together, making them sudsey, before washing himself. He always did this sitting down, so it wasn't long before he found himself nodding off.

_Matthew walked in this place. It was a strange area, foggy and misty and full of suggestions. He was sure he could see pictures, but he wasn't sure what they could also see vague shapes moving about, bobbing heads and stomping feet. The shapes looked suspiciously like down, he saw that he was somehow wearing long PJ pants, sweat-like ones. Matt frowned, wondering how the hell those had gotten there. Shrugging and continuing his walk, he reached an opening and went through._

_ "Dude, I know! Like, for reals bro! And then Francis's oldest Pierre flew over and landed on his head and-" A German-accented voice was speaking._

_ "Hello?" Matthew called. The strange voice quit talking, and then Matthew could see something clearly. A guy, with white hair. He was turning, towards Matt._

_ "Well well well, look at what we have here." The man said, sauntering over to the blonde. "It's Matthew!"_

_ "H-how do you know my name?" Matt stammered._

_ "Kesesesese!" The albino chuckled. He paid no attention to a large white stallion walking up behind him. "I'm just awesome like that!"_

_ "Um... Ok?" This was confusing. Seriously, who was this guy?_

_ "I'd love t' chat with you kid, but if you don't wake up now you're probably gonna catch a cold. But, get this, you go back to sleep and I'll come back. Deal?"_

_ "I guess." Matt still looked confused._

_ "Great! Well, see you soon Mattie!" The man tapped Matthew's forehead with a finger, and Matthew was shot into blackness._

Matthew gasped as he awoke. The water was getting chilly. He stood up quickly, almost slipping a couple times, and hurridly rinsed off and got out. He wrapped the towel around him, trying to smother himself. Cold air, fine, he could deal with that. Cold water? Hell no! Way worse than cold air! Cold air didn't cling to your body like cold water. And while most of the time he was fine with the cold, it was late at night and he had to get up early again tomorow. Even if it was a Sunday.

Rushing to his room, Matthew put on his favorite long PJ bottoms and flopped onto the bed. Placing his glasses onto the nightstand, he was quickly asleep again...

_ "Ah, you're back Mattie!" The albino turned with a smirk. Matthew only didn't see he had a choice. It wasn't like he was gonna stay awake. And he was still damn tired. Wasn't he asleep? Why was he sleepy if he was dreaming? His eyes unfocused, crossing a bit and his lids began to fall._

_ "Hey! Blondie! Wake up, Awesome is talkin' here!" The albino growled, frowning and snapping his fingers in front of Mattie's face. Matthew blinked wildly and took a couple steps back. He landed on something large and furry. The something moved, and then snorted. Matthew looked up to see a horse-a white horse-a cremello horse, to be exact. A cremello stallion with red eyes._

_ "You! It's about damn time!" The albino snarled at the horse._

_ "_Lay off, arshloch. We're the same person, you just didn't call me here until now."_ The horse tossed it's head, and somehow Matthew knew that even without its lips moving, the horse had just spoken._

_ "Uhm... Gilbert?" Both horse and man looked at him._

_ "Ja, Mattie?" The albino asked._

_ "...I am way too tired. Can I just, like, not dream?" Mattie asked, rubbing his head._

_ "Fine. We'll continue this tomorrow. But first you must know!" The man-Gilbert said._

"Bring some, like, french fries. Seriously. Don't let Fritz see them though. He doesn't like it when we have fries. But they're so good!" _Horse-Gilbert tossed his head._

_ "Well, not only that, but bring fatass here some apples. Apples are delicious. Ohh-Granny Smiths, if you can! So bitter and delicious~ But Red Delicious are good as well. Oh, and Braeburn! Golden Delicious are okay, I guess. Mmm! And Pink Ladies! And maybe a few carrots. And-"_

_ "Holy crap! Slow down, I don't have a notecard or anything! And I can't bring anything tomorrow anyway! I'll go shopping after the barn!" Matthew cut in. Both horse and man stared at him before the man practically tackled him._

_ "Oh, Mattie! You're so damn cute! Will you really buy me some apples? Oh, all the apples you can get! You'll have to share with the others, of course, but you should give most of them to me because I'm, like, the most awesome one there! Or, you know, that big white fatass over there is! But still-Apples, apples, apples! Bring him some mother fucking apples! Mostly Granny Smiths! GRANNY SMITHS, MATTIE!" Man-Gilbert screamed._

_ Matthew blinked and frowned. The horse and man were fading away, the man flailing and still yelling while the horse tried not to get hit._

Matthew opened his eyes to his alarm clock blaring. He turned- 5:30. Time to get up. Already.

Where had his sleep gone?

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**Ja.**

**Review?**

**Apples~ Mattie, bring us apples!**

**Pwease?**

**:3**


	5. Massacre of Birds

**Welcome to chapter four. Be prepared for some death at the end of this chapter. Not of our beloved characters, no no no! You'll see~ Alfred, you unbelievable turd! How dare you do that to those poor chicks? So rude! Glad Mattie straightened you out!**

**Hetalia is not mine. Just this *coughfailurecough* story. **

**I love this story so much for some reason :I**

**Treaty~**

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Gilbert was so, so tired. Getting into Matthew's head had been harder than the thought. The kid was so open, so willing, but had so many dead ends and tricks to keep people from getting too close. It was no wonder people forgot about him-he didn't know how to open up. But, Gilbert smirked as only a horse could, he'd gotten in. The albino had made his way through Matthew's mind-traps, dead ends, and weirdly horrible monsters-and succesfully talked to the boy. The next time wouldn't be so hard.

Now he stood here, in the noonday sun. Cars streamed past, and he was underneath his favorite tree. Francis and Antonio were a few feet away, grazing. Berwald was on his side, sleeping, about thirty feet off. Arthur was off in the small cove of trees away from the rest, talking with his imaginary friends such as Flying Mint Bunny. And Ludwig was off doing something with his Italian, who had gotten to the barn early with Romulus.

The cremello huffed in content, listening as Antonio and Franics began bickering. They moved away to continue their play fight, running around each other. Berwald didn't even notice as Antonio jumped over him, Francis chosing to run around the larger stallion. When Gilbert heard a vehichle he turned his head. A blue Xterra that he now knew was Matthew and Alfred's was coming down the road. It was clearly Alfred driving it because it was going way faster than it should. The American was drinking something. Even all the way to where he was Gilbert could see that the boy wasn't even trying to be discreet about it. And Matthew was...

Huh. He couldn't see Matthew.

In any case, the stallion trotted over to where the car would be parked. Seeing that if he didn't rush the car would get there first, he moved into a canter and then an all-out run. Turning his head he saw Matthew-clinging to a handel for dear life, but looking limp. A pang of worry ran through Gilbert. After all, if the boy was hurt who would clean his stall so nicely? And his water trough too! He could finally see the bottom! Well, it was dirty again, but still... He reached the yard first, tempted to jump the fence. Oh he knew he could but he didn't want Fritz to know. The old man was a stickler for rules, much like Ludwig. Gilbert was more, "Hey dude, let's go with my awesome flow, kay?"

The car appeared to slow considerably before reaching the parking yard. Gilbert pawed and whinnied, demanding the fries he now saw in Alfred's hand. Alfred was laughing as he walked to the other side of the car. Gilbert now saw why he hadn't been able to see Matthew. The blonde teen was slumped forward, both hands grasping the "Oh Shit!" bar, and his head between his arms.

"Hahahahaha! C'mon, Mattie! It wasn't _that_ bad!" Alfred cackled and slapped his younger twin on the back.

"Alfred... I hate you _so much_ right now." Matthew breathed. Gilbert was surprised that he could hear the voice, considering how soft it was. When Matthew turned his head to glare at Alfred, Gilbert wanted to laugh. His dark blue eyes, tinged with purple, were wide. Matt's face was pale, so so pale. All the color was drained from it, and there was obvious discomfert as he tried to pry his hands from the bar.

"You can't hate the hero!" Alfred replied. Matthew just grabbed one of the fry boxes Alfred was holding-Gilbert now saw there were McDonald's fries-and got out of the car shakily.

_"Holy mother of god..."_ Gilbert thought, staring at the fries, _"If this kid doesn't give me some fries after what I told him last night, I am going to have a melt down. All out, mother fucking MELTDOWN. Those things-oh gott, the _salt!_ I can smell it from here!"_

Matthew saw his charge and walked over slowly, clearly trying to figure out his legs again. The stallion reached for some fries, moving his lips and smacking them. This vision caused Matthew to laguh and grab a couple. Looking around sneakily to make sure nobody was there, Matthew gave the fries to Gilbert. At first he tried to just grab them, but doing that got a rough smack on the nose and Matthew eating the fries with a glare. The next time he went slower, lipping the fries instead of a mad rush of teeth. With a pleased smile Matthew let the horse have the fries.

_"Jesus. If the kid brings apples, I think I might be in love."_ Gilbert though, closing his eyes in bliss. This kid was _awesome_ Gilbert decided as he was allowed to finish off the fries. He gave a small hum-like sound in content. After eating all the fries, Gilbert moved away from the fence and back to the tree. Matthew threw away the now-empty fry box and went into the barn. Inhaling sweat and leather and horse once again, he admired just how many horses there were.

"This vould be where I can meet Fritz, da?" A voice asked from behind Matthew. The tall-but-smaller-than-this-shadow blonde froze and turned around.

"Uhm, da. I-I mean yes! Yes, uh... Fritz is... Ah! Fritz! This is..." Matthew saw the man and quickly beconed him over. The tall blonde came over with a calm expression. Not serene, but calm.

"Ivan. Ivan Braginski." The other teen that this newcomer was a teen as well. His hair was caught somewhere between platinum blonde and brown-black, giving it an interesting grayish color. Ivan's eyes were a lavender color, much like Matthew's. His face, although childish, held a certain gleam that creeped Matthew out. Grateful for Fritz's appearance the blonde hurried away.

"You're to be caring vfor Francis. He is out at the moment, but if you wish to begin his stall is there. The other boys have begun cleaning already. Your stall will be right next to where Alfred is." Fritz pointed. Having an uncanny ability to hear his name, Alfred turned. He glared at Ivan, but smiled.

"Hey there commie! Come to work finally?" It was teasing. Not friendly, but not rude either. The way Ivan smiled back it appeared to be a long-standing joke between them.

"Da, I have comrade Alfred." Ivan nodded. Matthew, his invisibility in full-blast, managed to get a bucket-muck rake and the squeeky wheelbarrow past with nobody noticing. In no time at all it seemed, he was done with Gilbert's stall. Alfred was finishing Arthur's, calling out teases to Ivan who worked in Francis's stall next to him. Tino was doing a twice-over to make sure Berwald's stall was as clean as he could make it without pressure-washing it. Lovino was taking his siesta-his morning siesta-and Feliciano was über-grooming Ludwig. The palomino stood at attention, but had one foot cocked in relaxation.

_"How... Nice."_ Matthew thought as he went and dumped the wheel barrow. He put away the barrow and rake and went to the seats that were situated near the paddock. Gilbert was dozing under a tree, Matthew noticed. Berwald was rolling, his hooves reflecting the sun. Antonio was nickering, clearly begging for treats, and Francis was standing with one leg cocked in relaxation. Seeing a flash of golden brown in the trees, Matthew figured Arthur was over there.

_"Berwald, Arthur, Francis, Ludwig, Gilbert... How strange that their names are all... Names you would give a human."_ Matthew yawned. The birds were chirping so nicely, and the sun was so warm, and this place was so calm that...

_"Matthew? What're you doing here?"_

_ Matthew turned around to see Gilbert and another person. His hair was a yellow-orange, much like Arthur's coat. He was shorter than Gilbert,and had exceptionaly large eyebrows._

_ "Ah, hello again Gilbert. Who is this?" Matthew walked over slowly, stopping a few feet away from the pair. _

_ "Gilbert, you git! Why did you tell him your name?" The large-eyebrowed man said._

_ "Well, what'd'ya want me to do? Tell him to call Mr. White Hair? Hey, Mr. Red-eyes! No. No shot in hell, Bushy-brows." Gilbert snapped. Matthew held his hands to his sides in patience._

_ "Don't call me that you insufferable wanker! You're almost as bad as that American! My name is _not_ Iggy!" The man snarled, stomping his foot._

_ "Arthur." Matthew nodded._

_ "Now, there you're the idiot! He figured out your name without even asking!"_

_ "Well, you'll just have to make him forget now huh! It's about time you bloody fuckin' erased again." Arthur smirked at Gilbert. The albino glared in return, clenching his fists._

_ "Fine!" Gilbert turned to Matthew. "Sorry, Blondie." Matthew took a step back._

_ "Wh-what do you mean 'Sorry'? What're you doing?" _

_ "Well, Artie here has decided to be a dick. That's pretty much it. I have to erase this." Gilbert put one hand on Matthew's forhead and his other on the 17 year old's jugular. He began to push, choking Matthew._

_ "What the- I can't move!" Matthew wheezed, finding it getting so much harder to breathe. He had just blacked out when something happened. He heard a sudden increase in bird chirping._

_ "Ah! Gilbert! Look out you bloody nincompoop!" Arthur shouted. Gilbert's hands were suddenly gone._

_ "Nein! Oh, Gott, NEIN!" Gilbert screamed, his voice getting far away._

Matthew awoke with a start. He wasn't sure what he had just dreamed, except that he had seenn the human Gilbert with somebody else. The other person was fuzzy, and had huge eyebrows. That was all he could recall. He couldn't hear anybody else, and the horses-save Gilbert-were all out of the field. Gilbert was panicking about something. His white coat was getting sweaty.

_"Nein! Nein, oh gott! Vogelchens..." _Gilbert wanted to scream. Those stupid, carcas-eating, car-salesman like crows! The black birds had knocked down a nest of canary chicks. Some were cheeping while others lay on the ground still. Gilbert lifted his large head and looked around frantically. While he and Matthew had been asleep, all the other horses had been taken. He saw Matthew watching him curiously. _Gott verdammit!_ Now he couldn't change and help the birds!

But Matthew could.

Without a second thought, Gilbert charged the fence. It was at least five feet tall, but he cleared it with not a blink. Then he slowed, trotting quickly to where Matthew stood gaping. He offered the boy his bare back, getting right next to him. Being in his panic he almost knocked the boy over, and Matthew jumped onto his chair to save himself. Gilbert turned his head and grabbed the boy's shirt, trying to tug him onto his back. Vaguely understanding Matthew hoisted himself onto the broad back.

Matt was barely situated on his back before Gilbert took off again. He clung to the white mane for dear life as the horse accelerated like a barrel racer. The stallion made a circle before heading for the fence once again. A few things should be said now.

Matt had jumped before, yes, but never five feet. Hell, he'd never gotten any higher than three before the horses forgot about him. He hadn't jumped bareback for a long time either. And Gilbert was sweaty from his nervousness about whatever had happened by the tree.

_"Sweet Deiu, please don't let me die!"_ Matthew thought. He wanted to close his eyes but figured that would make it even harder to keep his balance. So he rose up like he was taught and let Gilbert take the jump. It felt like flying-high speed flying. And Matthew was terrified. His mouth was open, but teeth grinding in fear. He felt his heart start beating way faster than normal when Gilbert's muscles bunched in preparation, swore he didn't need to breathe as they flew over the fence, and was certain that he was going to die as they came down. Gilbert landed fine. Matthew almost ate shit.

He was halfway off Gilbert, his legs around the muscular horse's stomach and back, and his hands knotted for dear life in the mane. Gilbert began slowing as the reached the tree, and Matthew was off his back when he began to walk. Matt shoved his left leg down and swung the right leg over, almost falling off again.

"Holy... Oh crap, some of them are still alive..." Matthew immediatly rushed over to the chicks, forgetting about his sudden near-death experience. "Maple... ALFRED! FRITZ!" He got up, holding the three remaining live ones, and bolted for the fence. "ALFRED! ALFIE! YOU STUPID AMERICAN, COME HERE! I NEED YOU TO BE A HERO FOR SOME CHICKS!"

Gilbert was following Matthew. Given as the teen was actually quite quick he moved at a slow canter. Alfred bolted out of wherever-the-hell-I've-been, and Gilbert was supprised at how quickly he hopped the fence. It was like he'd vaulted over it. Fritz was right behind him, looking worried.

"Matthew! Matthew what the hell is wrong? Why're you screaming like-Holy _shit_ Mattie! What the fuck are those?" Alfred rushed his brother, releiving him of the bloodier of the three. Fritz took the other one.

"The canaries... Our beautiful canaries..." Fritz took the mostly-still body. The big chick he held was shuddering, and then it wasn't. Fritz looked down at it sadly. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know! I took a- a nap and when I woke up Gilbert was by that tree freaking out! He jumped the fence and then he practically threw me onto his back and then he jumped the fence again and I almost fell off and then we were at the tree and there were these nests and laughing crows and the babies were down and-"

"Hush, Matthew." Fritz placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Matthew was only now begining to hyperventalate. "You did good."

"Yeah. If you'd broken your face, Mom would've been PISSED. She would have to give you a handicap when you two fist-fought next time, and you know how she hates that." Alfred piped in.

"I'll take these two. Would you two go find a shovel and dig graves for the dead? I know it seems silly, but our canaries are one of our mascots. To have a mass of their chicks slaughtered like this is..." Fritz just shook his head. Alfred and Matthew nodded. Alfred slung an arm over his brother's shaking shoulders and pulled him in close. Matthew nodded his head at whatever Alfred had begun saying. Gilbert watched them go.

_"Gott, Fritz, I am so sorry. They were fine when I went to sleep. When I woke up one of the nests had hit me and the crows were at the top. I tried to reach them, but they took off. I tried, Fritz, I swear I tried." _Gilbert followed his grandfather to the gate.

"I know, Gilbert. I know. These things just happen. I just... I just wish I knew who had sent the crows. The last time the canaries were killed, a shit storm began." Fritz shook his head. "But... Next time you have an emergency... Try not to kill your _tipai_."

Gilbert watched as the man walked away, feeling low. When Alfred and Matthew came back, he followed them. As they dug the graves, he help by pawing at the ground and making little graves of his own. Alfred and Matthew would say a few words, and then fill the dirt in over the small body. Matthew had gotten upset the one time Alfred tried to put a few canaries in together.

"What the maple hell, Al! What if that was you and me and Peter? Would you like to share a mapleling grave with us? That's disrespectful, Al! Not to mention lazy! This will not be a mass-grave! There will be small graves for each and every bird!" Matthew had practically screamed at his brother. Alfred only nodded and removed the extra chicks, making a new hole for each. They put little twig-and-leaf markers above each. Then they were done, the chicks buried, and two boys with one horse dirty and sweaty and trying not to cry over what a waste of life this had been.

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***schniffle***

**I hate it when birds die. I've seen two or three die in front of me and it made me feel so bad. They'd been so scared their tiny little hearts hadn't been able to handle in. They had heart attacks and died. I felt quilty...**

**Poor birdies. Have only two survived?**

**Which one is our beloved Gilbird?**

**Damn crows!**

**Yet I love crows so much :I**


	6. I Dream of You

**So I'm listening to "Beauty and The Beast" right? (the song) and it says "Then somebody bends unexpectedly" and since I'm picturing Gil and Mattie to this...**

**You get my point?**

**Ja. Damn perverted mind ;) Try to look at that song the same again~**

**This chapter is completely a dream chapter. The song in the begining is made up (in, like, five minutes xD I hate trying to think of songs!)**

**Since I haven't replied to any of those kind reviews, I shall do that at the end of this chapter. Originally, this chapter is 1750 words. With my author's notes... Who knows?**

**I don't own Hetalia, Mattie, Gil, or Gilbird but i DO own this story!"**

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_"Don't fret, dear child. All will be fine. The dogs are the cages, the workers in the mine. The huntsman's pets are working to protect-you, you'll be fine._

_ "Don't fret, little one, I'm here to stay. The feelings we feel won't go away. That heart in your chest? Can you feel mine? Can you hear, can you feel, can you see? They're beating in time._

_ "Don't fret, small birdie, I'll dry all your tears. Fight all the shadows, destroy all your fears. I'll protect you, I promise, and no one can make me break it. I'll fight to the end to make sure that you make it._

_ "Don't fret, liebe, don't fret, don't fret. The killers will be caught, they'll hang with no net. They'll fall from the sky like a plane crashing down. Away and away and away from our town. The killers will wish they had never done so. Because I love you, I'll protect you, and we'll let it be known."_

_ Matthew walked down the hallway from the night before, listening. The words were sad and had that German accent, giving them a foreign feel. The voice wasn't very deep, but it wasn't a high tenor either. It was just... Like a speaking song. Matthew found himself following it, trying to get to the source although he already had a notion of who it would be. It wasn't long before he was back in the area he'd been both the night before and earlier that day. And, like he'd thought, there was the source._

_ "Gilbert?" The blonde asked shyly. The albino didn't turn. Although the song slowly faded, the man pretended not to hear the teen. Matthew walked forward, hoping to see what Gilbert was singing to. In his arms there were two chicks. They were both slightly faded, but one was becoming more and more translucent. "Gil?"_

_ And then it was gone. The chick suddenly dissapeared. Gilbert let out a cry, and began hugging the other chick to his chest._

_ "Not you! Not you too, nein! Please, don't go little chick!" The man begged. Matthew knelt down next to him and put an arm on Gilbert's shoulder._

_ "Shh. Gilbert, here. Let me hold the baby." Matt told the albino. Gilbert shook his head like a child._

_ "Nein. I don't want to. He's mine." He protested, whining like a child._

_ "Gil, please? I won't hurt him, I promise. He can be your Gilbird, and I'll give him back. But you might smush him if you keep him pressed against you like that." Matt tried again. Reluctantly, Gilbert handed over the chick. Matthew grasped it tenderly, holding it like it was made of glass. The canary chick seemed to have a bit more color than before, but not much._

_ He pretended not to notice as Gilbert put his head between his legs, placed his arms over his head, and start crying. He just pet the small bird, humming the song he'd heard Gilbert singing earlier. It seemed to be forever before Gilbert could finally stop crying. Matthew didn't hand the bird back, though. He moved so he stood before Gilbert, the chick in his hands._

_ "Now, look at it Gilbert. Like I said, this will be your Gilbird. Yours. Nobody elses. Gilbird. Is. Yours. If you let anybody else touch him without trusting them, I'll be very upset with you. He will live, and you will take care of him like he was you. You will care for him as you would care for yourself, only better. Got it? Tell me you'll keep him safe and I'll give him back." Matthew looked into the bloodshot crimson eyes. They held eye contact for a minute before Gilbert nodded. "No, don't nod. _Tell me._ Tell me that you'll keep him safe, no matter what."_

_ "You tell me first, Matt. If anything happens to me." Gilbert retorted in a growl._

_ "Fine. If anything ever happens to you, Gilbert, I will take care of your Gilbird. I will treat him like he was my child, and care for him more than family. I won't let anybody I don't trust hold him, feed him, touch him, or anything. I will treat him as though, not glass, but diamond. He will be safe with me. Gilbird. Will. Be. Safe." Matthew swore, poking the bird's chest with a finger._

_ "Then I, Gilbert of the Awesome Prussian descent, take Gilbird as my own. I will care for him like he was my child, and not let anybody who is not awesome enough to touch him. He will be my shrine of awesome, and my awesome shall rub off on him and make him even more awesome. He'll be safe with me no matter what, and Gilbird will be my mascot. I will care for him like a shrine-a fuckin' awesome shine who can do totally badass shit-and make sure that he is never hurt fatally." Gilbert swore back, placing a hand over his heart. "On my Prussian Values."_

_ "Whatever that means." Matthew smiled, "But I accept your swear and hereby declare you the official caretaker of this Gilbird. I now crown you king of Gils." He placed the canary chick on Gilbert's head. Like magic the chick began to fill up with the color yellow, like being with his new 'master' was healing him. The air around him began to glow with the life filling him. "Lookitat. I was right. You belong to him, and you heal him."_

_ "This means you're the wife, you know." Gilbert smirked, rubbing his eyes but making sure not to jostle his head._

_ "What? What the maple are you talking about!" Matthew shot back, away from the man but into the horse. The cremello had appeared from seemingly nowhere. The shining light from around Gilbird moved, leaving the chick and floating over to where the stallion stood. It seemed to flutter for a moment before coming to a rest on his head._

_ "You made the contract between me and Gilbird. You swore into it as well. I'm too awesome to be the wife. But, since we made a contract with Gilbird, I'm gonna make one with you so I know I can trust you and let you touch him."_

_ "...'The maple, Gil? You just let me hold him while you cried!" Matthew now protested. He reached up and absent-mindedly rubbed the stallion's neck. Gilbert-the human-seemed to shudder for a moment before leaning slightly to his left and half-closing his eyes in content._

_ "Yes, I did. But I want to completely trust you with him. Swear the same for me."_

_ "I'll swear if you swear."_

_ "Fine, stupid little Birdie. I, Gilbert the Awesome of Prussia, say that I will protect you, Matthew of Almost-Awesome Canada (they've got great stuff there, like milk in bags and maple syrup you know!" "Yes, I know, get on with it!) no matter what. If you're hurt, I'll find you and help you. If you're in trouble, I'll find you and help you. If you need me, I will be there. No matter where, no matter what, no matter who is in my way I will find you and I will protect you. You are my _tipai_, and so I shall protect you as I would protect my Gilbird." Gilbert declared and once again added "On my Prussian Values, I will keep you safe."_

_ "Ok then. Well, I Matthew Williams of Canada (I guess I could do this too...), declare that I will protect you. No matter what happens to me, no matter how wounded, how emotionally distraught, no matter what is in my way, I will find you. I will get to your side and help you with what you need, how you need, no matter what. I will protect you as I would protect Gilbird and Alfred and Mom and Dad. On my Canadian Values, I'll keep you safe." Matthew replied solemly._

_ "Awesome. Then you are in my contract, and I am in yours. May we never break them, less a painful life-wound or death befall us if we don't fix it."_

_ "Yeah. What you just said." Matt rolled his eyes._

_ "Say it Mattie-bird. It won't matter if you don't say it."_

_ "I am in your contract and you are in mine. If we break them may we both suffer a painful life-wound or a painful death if we don't fix it, or get the opprotunity to." He sighed._

_ "Awesome!" Gilbert practically tackled the teen. "Now I'm yours and your mine! I swear, Birdie, if you bring that big white ass over there apples I will love you!"_

"Pshah. You don't even know what love is."_ The stallion snorted and rolled his eyes. Gilbert glared at him._

_ "I do too know what love is! I watch Francis-"_

"Who loves anything he can fuck."

_"-and I watch 'Toni!"_

"Who claims he's in love with that weird-ass Italian."

_"And I love Gilbird!" Gilbert finished proudly. The cremello grave another snort._

"Whatever. Just remember the contract, you idiot. We wouldn't want it breaking after what you pledged."

_ "I won't break it! I _will_ keep Birdie safe!"_

_ "Gilbert, who the maple is Birdie?" Matthew broke in._

_ "Huh? Well, you are!" Gilbert looked at Matt with a "duh!" face._

_ "Why?"_

_ "Because... Well... You're... Because you are, okay! You're Birdie, weither you like it or not! Better yet, you're _my_ Birdie!" Gilbert couldn't give a better answer than that, and Matthew sighed and shrugged._

_ "Ok. Whatever." The calm Canadian looked around, and then blinked as though remembering something. "Gilbert, what's a _tipai_?"_

_ "Huh? Oh! _Tipais!_ Kesesesese! I can't tell you!" Gilbert cackled._

_ "Why not!"_

_ "A contract I made with somebody else. You gotta figure it out for yourself." Gilbert looked proud. He had looked proud the last two times Matt had seen him, but the way he was holding himself and the fact that Matthew knew he had cried for the chicks at the begining of this made Matthew feel he was hiding something._

_ "You suck!" Matthew grumbled._

_ "Kesesesese! You're so cute when you're angry, Birdie! Oh! It's time to go! See you tonight, Matthew!" Gilbert winked, and Matthew felt his face flush._

_ "Gilbert, I'm going to ki-" he wasn't able to finish before he blacked out, and _

woke up to the world, in his bed. The blonde blinked his sleepy eyes, and groped blindly for his glasses. He silently wondered what he'd just gotten himself into, what with this "contract" business. He also wondered how the chicks-or chick?-was doing today.

* * *

** DevilsBlueRose- Thanks. I can't wait to see where I go with this too!**

** Dogsrule- Well, I see where your affections lie! -stares at your name- LOL. Thanks for the compliment~ I aim to please when I write (well. Please myself, and if you guys like it well... Then it's a bonus!)**

** Mew I is Dinosaur- Holy dear lord, you've reveiwed so many times~ Thank you thank you thank you~ You're amazing. To answer your first one- Thank you. I hadn't seen that much mystery, but I guess there was some! **

** DeepSentinel- I don't think many people think of Hetalia and Horses :I I am one of those weird nerds who is a bit of a closet otaku-ish person because my parents are pretty against manga. I'm really not even supposed to buy it when we go to bookstores but I do anyway~**

** Mew I is Dinosaur- Yep. Gilbert won't forget him (hopefully)! I'm thinkin the really intro chapters are about done and shtuffs about to blow!**

** ^^ LOL Belgian fries... Just doesn't sound right. French fries... Now THERE'S name. Guess France is good for something!**

** HollirotxX- Huzzah! I love good weird!**

** ^^- I hate it when birds die. It makes me feel guilty, like I couldn't do anything to stop it :(**

** LoveIsThePainInside- The ones I saw both had heart attacks. I think my brother hit the first one with a shovel by accident, or picked it up with a shovel... Don't really remember. I try to forget occasionaly. I tried to keep the chars in sync, and put them as I saw them. Cremello horses aren't actually albino (there is no albino horse color) but cremellos are white with pink around their eyes, nose, and mouth (read up on this a while ago) so I figured... GILBY IS A CREMY! 8D I try to update often because I personally hate it when people take three weeks to update (ok. more like two, but still!) So i try to upload fast (lol. once a week is fast for me xD THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID. XD)**

** Mew I is Dinosaur (yep, again~Told ya I got lots of reveiws from her!)- Yep. Gilbird was in that nest. Those crows are gonna have a helluvatime trying to avoid both Mattie AND Gil after that~ I hadn't even thought of that gravedigging thing! I was thinking more Holocaust than Civil War! But thanks for pointing that out~ Learn (or remember xD) somethign new every day! 8D**


	7. An Explination

**Sorry for the delay. Was interning on a horse ranch in New Mexico. I learned quite a few things about natural horsemanship :) Was quite awesome. Got compliments for both me and my horse, as well as consructive critisism. And I galloped the first week there xD Not on my horse, he was gimping. But on this lovely Appendix mare... She's a speedy little byatch, trust me. So now I have orders to play-not work, because if its work than it's boring. PLAYING is fun-with both her and my horse, twice a week each. Plus I've actually started on the history HW, which is total bullocks if you ask me...**

**Anyway, I got a bit of writer's block for this chapter. But here it is, in all it's failness!**

* * *

Alfred was worried. Sure, he was considered quite stupid by many and he knew he totally failed at reading emotions and tensions. Well, when it was reading emotions outside his family he sucked. Like now, for example. Their mother was up, downstairs, and doing what she shouldn't be.

_Making pancakes._

That was Matthew's job. But his younger twin had been kind of out of it since yesterday. After they had buried the chicks (and after Alfred had been reprimanded again) they had gone in. Matthew had gotten Gilbert's halter and tied him up. His invisibilaty on at full blast, he'd cleaned the stallion silently. Even the horse looked depressed although Alfred couldn't think of why. And as he got up and walked downstairs, he was confused.

_"Stupid git." The man had sighed. "You really are oblivious aren't you?" He spoke with a British accent. Alfred found it quite cute and had decided he would torment the man to hear it more._

_ "I don't know what you mean." Alfred had replied. He really had though. Why did Arthur think he was stupid? Why did pretty much_ everyone_ thought he was stupid. Only their family knew better._

_ "You don't even know who I am." _

_ Alfred didn't want to let Arthur know he did know._

_ "You're the guy who's talkin' to me, right? This is the second time I've dreamt of you."_

_ "Give the yank a prize, 'e said something correctly." Arthur had growled irritably._

_ "That's rude."_

_ "You're an idiot."_

_ "Jealous of my heroness?"_

_ "I have no idea what the crap you're talking about but-" Arthur had paused, and looked beyond Alfred, like he was looking across the room. "That bloody wanker! Get involved in a contract already! What an idiot! That _stupid_ kraut!"_

_ "What?" Alfred was actually confused now. He turned and looked over his shoulder but all he could see was the foggyness. Clearly Arthur could tell what was going on._

_ "Our favorite annoying kraut just tied himself into a contract! As did his _tipai!_ Is he bloody insane?" Arthur groaned._

_ "What's a contract?" This interested Alfred._

_ "You sodding idiot. A contract is what ties us to somebody. It can be a lifetime contract, or until a certain goal is reached. We swear too do something to them, and if we swear by our contract and get them to do it we are bound to that contract. If we can't we are inflicted with a terribly painful wound for life. If our contracted person dies-unless we had contracted to kill the person-we will die as well. What happens to our contract happens to us. For instance, that idiot albino kraut just made a contract to always find his _tipai_ no matter what. So if the boy went missing and our lovely bule couldn't find him, he would possibly have a gaping wound somewhere that would shut but reopen often and be extreamly painful." Arthur sniffed, like this was all a waste of his time._

_ "Have you ever done a contract?" _

_ "Finally! An intelligent question!" Arthur looked almost proud. "And yes, I have. We all have, so we all know why never want to break a contract. Mine still hurts occasionaly, but that's just shadow pain."_

_ "What did they contract? Whoever that was." Arthur stared at him, studying the blonde's face for a few moments._

_ "I can't tell you who it was. But I can tell you that they swore to find each other and protect each other no matter what. Which is quite stupid, considering they've only known each other for two days. They also swore that they'd take care of that little bird together, and if anything ever happened to the other. I suppose that makes the death part a bit hard for them, unless the bird dies." Arthur said the last bit as an afterthought._

_ Two days. That meant Lovino, Feliciano, Tino, or Matthew had just made the contract. Alfred knew that kraut was a word for Germans. Or at least, that's what he had thought. Hadn't Fritz said Gilbert and Ludwig came from Germany? Maybe not specifically, but from the... Weildschmit or something bloodline? That sounded German, right? So... Matthew or Feliciano then. And Arthur had just said something about a bird. Feliciano didn't even _know_ about the canaries, unless Fritz had told them. He was sure that the older blonde wouldn't have done that._

_ So Matthew had just made a promise to protect Gilbert no matter what, risking a lifetime of pain or death. Suddenly Alfred felt very sick._

_ Did Mattie even know what he was getting into?_

_ "I-I gotta go!" But before he left, he'd give this guy something to chew on. "See you, Iggy!"_

And now here he was. Awake, listening to his mother make pancakes, and wondering if his younger twin knew what he'd gotten into.

* * *

Matthew woke up feeling great. Except for the fact that he'd woken up late, he felt... Awesome. He couldn't quite remember the dream he'd had the night before, except that it made him happy and relaxed. But when he smelled the pancakes, he shot out of bed. He hadn't thought he'd slept in that late!

"Mama! Sorry Mama!" He called as he ran down the stairs. His mother turned and smiled at him.

"No problemo, Mattie-bear!" She replied as she expertly flipped a pancake from the pan. She had taught him, after all. Even if he was the pancake master of the house, he had to learn from somewhere. "It's about time you let me make breakfast again!" Matthew frowned unhappily.

"But you normally hate making breakfast." He grumbled.

"Mattie, the last time you let me make breakfast was almost two months ago. I wanted to make breakfast this time." She smiled back gently. Anilla giggled as she ruffled her son's hair. "Your syrup's on the table. Tell your brother to wake up or he's not getting fed. Then come back down and eat."

Matthew nodded and raced up the stairs, pounding his fist onto Alfred's door.

"Get up Al! Mom's got the cakes ready and she says that if you don't get up then you don't get any!" He screamed and ran back down the stairs. Pancakes made him excited. Excitement made him loud. Loudness caused Alfred to worry more. Worrying more made him jump out of bed, run to the door, and scramble downstairs to find his brother getting batter on his face because he rushed their mother for more pancakes. And even that made him laugh.

Maybe nothing was wrong after all.

* * *

"Gilbert. Wake up. We need to talk." Fritz said firmly. Gilbert lifted his head tiredly. He looked at his grandfather with a confused expression.

"What do you need, Gramps?" He asked. The young man stretched his arms and looked at Fritz more closely. The canary chick from the day before was resting. Gilbert's face softened into a smile, happy to see it doing well.

"This, Gilbert. And... I know what you did with Matthew." Fritz replied. Gilbert froze, the smile cracking.

"I-I'm sorry Fritz. It seemed like a good idea to bind him to the bird, and then I just-"

"No, shh, Gilbert, shut the hell up. It was a good idea, in a way. Now you'll be able to know where he is, a gut feeling. But you need to be even more carefull. If you know where he is, he'll know where you are. Human or horse. He's going to know."

"Aw, damn this thing to the seven pits of Hell..." Gilbert groaned.

Fritz only smiled in reply.

* * *

Alfred was driving Gertrude, again. Although today he was driving the speed limit. Matthew had asked him multiple times if everything was okay. If there was a problem Alfred wasn't spilling. It was one of the things Matthew hated about his family. They all had a stubborn streak a mile wide, if not more. So for the most part, it was a quiet car drive. Even the radio was turned down low.

"Hey Mattie, have you seen Felicia lately?" Alfred asked out of the blue. Matthew looked at him in surprise. Felicia was his ex-girlfriend. Once she'd heard he was bi, she broke up with him. Matthew hadn't been too broken-hearted; the chick had been a total bitch. He was kind of glad to be free of her, actually. She had been overwhelmingly controlling, and had hated Matthew's friends and family. They had thrown Matt a celebration when she left.

"Uh, no. Why?" He asked.

Alfred didn't answer. Matthew turned to look out his window. Although he didn't need to, 'cause he felt the car begining to slow, he said it anyway.

"Alfred. Pull over. _Now._"


	8. The Thing

**Okay. Soooo sorry it took me so long to get this done! But, given as I am home again, I have summer HW. Plus, I am babysitting. So this and _Protection_ are kinda getting pushed to the backburner. I've got a couple of one-shots that I'm working on, as well as a request. So forgive me if I take a while. I'll try to update as fast as I can but I still have 4 cause-and-effect graphs, a chapter and a half to read, a map, and possibly 3 essays.**

**Also, I'm feeling kinda lonely. I don't get many reviews, and it makes me think I'm not doing good or I'm doing something wrong. Like I don't wanna keep going with this story, but I do. So, please, if you do read, R&R so I know you guys do care... Not to be whiney, but it makes me feel kinda bad.**

* * *

"Mattie? Mattie?" There was no reply. Alfred panicked as his brother dove out of the slow-moving vehicle. His twin gave no reply, simply running from the car. Alfred tried to see what he was running towards, but then he turned a corner and was gone. Without a second thought he turned off the car and jumped out, forgetting to lock it in his hurry. He rushed after his younger brother, certain that anything that made the normaly slow Canadian move _this fast_ was definatly categorized as _not good_.

"Mattie!" He hollared as he saw the blonde turn another corner. He got no reply, and poured on more speed. His twin may be fast, but Alfred was faster. Matthew could run longer, but Alfred could run faster for short bursts. As he turned the corner he heard a thunk and a yelp of pain.

"PUT IT DOWN YOU SICK BASTARD!" Alfred heard Matthew yell. Matthew hardley ever yelled. There was a gun shot, and Matthew yelped, and then Alfred turned the corner. A man was holding a gun and a fluffy white thing. Matthew was glaring, ready to jump out of the bullet's path again.

"Who the hell are you?! I bought it legally! It's for my... Zoo!" The man snarled, waving the gun between Alfred, Matthew, and the Thing.

"Like hell! If it was, it wouldn't be bloody, and limp, and-oh my god, what's that?" Matthew stopped, looking terrified at the space behind the man. Alfred looked over to the space and began to tremble as well.

* * *

"Fritz... Something's wrong..." Gilbert muttered. He was pacing. Matthew and Alfred should have been here at least an hour ago. The two blondes were either the first ones here or the last, but always at the ranch before noon. It was almost one. A feeling of panic was beginning in his chest. Something was _wrong._ He had to do something.

The pacing increased.

"Gilbert, relax." Fritz sighed, sorting his papers. Gilbert glared.

"Relax? How can I relax? I make a damn contract with the kid last night, and today something just has to go wrong, and he's not here when he should!" A cheeping from Gilbert's head accented this fact. "Even Gilbird is worried! See!" The canary chick was grabbed by Gilbert and nodded, given as his owner was. "Really, Fritz, something is wro-"

"FRITZ! FRITZ WE NEED TO FUCKIN' LEAVE!" Lovino ran in shouting. His cell phone was in his hand with a clearly-heard panicked Alfred on the other side.

"What is going on Lovino?" Fritz asked, standing up and narrowing his eyes. The Italian knew better than to swear around his grandfather and Fritz unless it was an emergency. Lovino paid no attention to the human Gilbert.

"Something's wrong with Mattie. Alfred says he's been shot. Or, the white thing has been shot. What is the white- No, Alfred... Dammit, hamburger bastard, shut the hell up and listen! Argh! No-Just-JESUS CHRIST! LISTEN TO ME! Where the fuck are you two?" Lovino snapped into the phone, turning around. Gilbert gave Fritz an "I-told-you-so!" look. Fritz shook his head.

"Okay... South and... Q... God, I hate that street... Isn't that where those fucking... Those bastards, that's why... I fucking hate poachers." Lovino groaned. "Alright, hamburger bastard. We'll be there. Soon, yes, soon. Idiot." Lovino hung up, snapping the phone and looking like he wanted to break it.

"We need to go." He said to Fritz, "Feliciano has a car ready. Tino and Ivan are waiting as well. They just need us. And First Aid. First Aid things, definatly, from how Alfred was acting. They're on South Street and Avenue Q, in that dirty fuckin' alley where all those stupid ass poachers hang out and trade illegal animals and shit."

"Let's go then." Fritz said, gathering his First Aid box that he kept around for the animals and standing, quickly moving for the door. "And, Gil... Stay here. Don't do anything stupid and rash." Gilbert was fixed with a stare that froze him until he looked away.

"Y-yes sir..." He muttered, shuffling his feet. Lovino sent him a look, halfway between an "I know what you're up to" and a glare, and followed Fritz out the door. Gilbert watched the door with a hopeless feeling in his gut.

* * *

"Alfred, would you- Hey, Alfred. Alfred! ALLIE! Yo, bro! Hey! Alfred! CALM THE FUCK DOWN!" Matthew finally screamed, after trying for 5 unsuccessfull minutes to get his brother to calm down. Alfred finally quit moving and looked at him nervously. Thier trick to worry the man had worked, and when they'd rushed him he'd shot off a round in panic. Matthew had been grazed in the side, but he was over the pain. Alfred had been not as lucky, getting shot in his left arm. He screamed for a while before the adrenaline really kicked in and numbed it. The man who'd shot them had dropped the white thing and vanished, leaving his gun in his haste.

Alfred had been worrying the whole time. "What if I bleed out, Mattie? What if I get lead poisoning? What if he hit something fatal? What if I can't use it anymore? What if I-"

"OH MY GOD! ALFRED! SHUT! _UP!"_ Matthew finally snapped, his anger and pain combining to make him even touchier. "If he had hit something fatal, you'd be dead by now! You won't bleed out if you keep that pressure on it! You're not gonna get lead poisoning because it was a clean shot. You'll be able to use it fine but it might take a while! Now sit the fuck down and quit whining 'cause you're bothering the living _fuck_ out of me and when we get home I just might have to take Mr. Puck to you!"

"Found them! Ve~" An Italian accented voice appeared rather closely. Matthew perked up.

"Feli?!" He called happily.

"OHMYGOD FELI HELP ME! I'VE BEEN SHOT AND MATTHEW IS GONNA KILL ME IF I DON'T DIE FROM BLOOD POISONING OR LEAD POISONING OR BLEEDING OUT OR-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU _IDIOTA!" _Lovino snapped, appearing around the corner with Fritz, Tino, Feliciano, and Ivan in tow. Matthew smiled at them while Alfred seemed to wilt. "If Matthew doesn't kill you then I will!"

"B-b-but... I've been shot..." He whimpered.

"Alfred," Matthew facepalmed, wondering why he hadn't done this sooner, "The hero doesn't whine about getting shot." Alfred immediatly got quiet, looking concentrated.

"We almost passed right by you idiots, but then Ivan saw Gertrude. Then we followed the trail you guys left. You guys would suck at being spies. While, Alfred would. He dumped over so many trash cans... Matthew, dude, though, you rock. You could totally be a spy." Lovino cackled. Tino and Fritz went to tend to them. Matthew insisted that Alfred be dealt with first, and then the white thing in his arms. When Fritz took it, he raised an eyebrow at Matthew.

"Isn't this...?" He asked. Matthew nodded.

"That's... Yeah, it is..." Matt replied shyly. The white thing yawned, showing gaping jaws and soon-to-be-sharp teeth. "I was kinda wondering if... We could keep it at the ranch..."

"Well, we'd have to get permits and a freezer room... And..."

"I know. I can help with it, I swear! I'll help take care of it too! But I don't want it to..."

"I understand. We'll do what we can." Fritz nodded. Matthew grinned at him greatfully.

* * *

Gilbert had left the room and returned to his horse form when the two cars pulled up. He ran to the front gate, trying to see Matthew. The blonde boy-when he did see him amidst the blondes-was carrying something white. It was dirty and a bit bloody. He saw Matthew and Alfred were the same, and he whinnied at them. Matthew looked over, grinned, and waved. His hands were bloody and he was walking with a limp, but he seemed to be okay for the most part. Gilbert let out a sigh of relief.

_"Look what you did idiot."_ Arthur trotted up and snorted at him, pinning his ears. Gilbert pinned his own back.

_"I didn't do anything."_ Gilbert snapped back. Arthur shook his head, mane flying.

_"Git. You made a contract, and have risked yourself. What will we do if he finds out?"_

_"Explain it to him. I know what your kid did. And that, my dear _rosbif_, is far too funny."_ Francis inserted himself into the conversation. He got next to Gilbert and peered over the cremello's back to the other stud.

_"Huh? What did I miss?"_ Gilbert looked interested at this. He knew Alfred had said something last night. But he didn't know exactly what.

_"Alfred knows about _Iggy._ Told 'im last night, right before they woke up." _ Francis snorted.

_"The sodding idiot was just guessing."_ Arthur stomped his left hind, turning his head to Francis and Gilbert. _"He doesn't know. He's stupid. Can't read into anything."_

_ "Ah, but yesterday, you said he has great hands..."_ Gilbert began to crack up. His legs shook, and he finally laid down.

_"Oh, Francey-pants! The ways people could take that!"_ Fed up with their jokes, Arthur gave Gilbert a swft but light kick, and gave Francis a harder one.

_"You sick frog! Stupid karut! Neither of you know anything!"_ The British stallion loped away to go to his stretch of forest. Gilbert continued to laugh for moments after and Francis watched him with amusement.

_"So, Francis... How is it going with that commie?" _Gilbert asked, lying on his side.

_"Ah, my dear Russian... Quite well. He is a sweet little sunflower, always with his scarf." _ Francis chuckled.

_"So you do go for everybody..."_ Gilbert pretended to speak in awe, pricking his ears at Francis.

_"And _you_, apparently, go for quiet little Canadians that you met only a few days ago."_ Francis retorted, still amused.

_"Antonio is a masochist, for he simply adores that sadistic, angry Italian boy..."_

_ "We already know Luddy's into BDSM, but that's kinda beside the point..."_

_ "Ohonhonhon..." _Francis chortled. Gilbert finally stood, nudging Francis.

_"Let's go find Tonio... We have things to... Discuss..."_ Gilbert chuckled as he sprinted away from his friend. Francis took off after him, kicking up his heels joyfully.

* * *

"Matthew, isn't that thing a..." Feliciano asked.

"Yes." Matthew replied, cleaning it up.

"How did you know?"

"Because I love them."

"Ah-hah... And you took off after that crazy bastard why?"

"Because... I saw it... And didn't want it hurt... More."

"More. And you risked both your life and Alfred's for it."

"My life. Alfred followed on his own. That was his choice. I didn't ask him to come after me."

Feliciano hummed in reply. They were giving _it _a bath while _it _was calm. Feli didn't want to be on the recieving end of _its_ anger and fear when it woke up. Matthew was willing, but the lithe Italian wasn't.

"Thanks for helping, Feli." Matthew murmered, ducking his head. "You didn't have to, really..."

"Well, everybody else went to give their statements and somebody had to watch the little tyke with you. Plus we have to check the horses as well." Feliciano replied with a smile. He opened his eyes to look at Matthew, and Matthew froze.

"Do you know why my nonno loves these horses so much?" Feliciano asked cheerily. Matthew could only shake his head. "It's because these horses are special. Very much so. We can't tell you why, we've been contracted to let you find out on your own. Lovino and I. Our nonno told us when we were young. You'll find out, of course, but we can't just out and out tell you. It would hurt all of us."

Something about what Feli had just said made an impact in Matthew's brain, but he couldn't think of it. He was too busy staring at Feliciano's eyes. Both the Vargas twins had rather hypnotizing eyes, but Lovino's were generally too angry and Feli always had his closed. So when either of them softened their gaze or opened their eyes, people soon forgot what was going on and took notice of what they were doing. The words were imprinted on Matthew's mind, Feli could see it, and so he closed his eyes again.

"Ve~ Let's get this baby into somewhere nice and cool now." Feli cheered as Matthew picked up the cleaned and bandaged white thing. Matthew shook his head, snapping himself out of his stupor, and nodded.

"Ah, yeah, eh..."

* * *

**BTW, What do you guys think the Thing is? ;) Could it be an albino flying mint bunny? Or maybe an albino Freedom (Al's eagle)? Or maybe Kuma-whats-his-face... What do YOU think _it_ is? Do tell, do tell~**

**Whoever pointed it out... THANKS FOR POINTING OUT MY MISTAKE 8D TOTALLY MISSED I SAID THAT B WORD XD**


	9. Return Home, Young Memories

**Oh my god. I. Suck. Feel free to tell me. I am a horrible person. School has started, and let me tell you.**

**HOMEWORK. EVERY NIGHT.**

**I even have homework this weekend |D But I told myself, "Bitch! You've taken far too long! Get yo ass down, you're on the laptop enough, AND WRITE ANOTHER FRACKIN CHAPTER. YOUR PEOPLE NEED YOU."**

**So this is... A bit confusing. I was trying to figure out what to do. I have so many ideas |D But, it's from both Mattie and Gil's 3rd POV. Odd, but... Yeah.**

**I hope you like it. This one and the next two will be filler chapters pretty much. The next one will be the discussion with the police, and then Gil's discussion with the Rock Doves.**

**Can anybody tell me Rock Doves are more commonly known as? -raises eyebrows- I gives you cookie if you do~**

**ENJOY. PLEASE. AND FEEL FREE TO TELL ME HOW MUCH I SUCK.**

* * *

Matthew returned home tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with a thumb and a forefinger. His eyes were closed, his body ached, and Alfred was doing his damndest to give his younger twin a head ache. The older blonde was yelling in excitement, not realizing that their parents weren't home. Matthew recalled a text from his mother telling him that she and their dad were going for a fancy dinner, and the boys were on their own. Even after the long day Mattie went straight for the kitchen and began gathering ingredients for pancakes. Alfred had eaten all the ones their mother had made earlier, and Matt could eat the bread-discs for every meal. In no time at all, the breakfast was cooking. Alfred left the downstairs to take a shower and then return for food. Matthew hummed his acknowledgement.

_"And now, for the Nickleback you've all been waiting for! Er'rybody, this! Is! _Next Contestant_!"_ The announcer on the radio called into the room. Alfred had turned it on before he went upstairs, and Matthew was far too lazy at the moment to turn it off, or turn the station.

_"I judge by what she's wearing, just how many heads I'm tearing, Off of assholes coming on to her."_ The opening lyrics rang out strongly. Matthew knew this song. It was by a band from Canada, his beloved country, and he loved the strong songs they wrote. Of course he loved sad ones like _Someday_, but he preferred the stronger-sounding ones. He blared them over the speakers when he practiced for hockey alone, or felt like skating like a maniac. So instead of turning it down, Matthew trotted out to turn up the radio and return to his kitchen.

* * *

Gilbert sat in front of the house, pouting. Fritz looked at him with no regret. Ludwig sat in the back, Feliciano on his lap and cheering about something. Francis was squished in between Ludwig and Antonio, who had an angry (shocker) Lovino on his lap. Antonio was smiling happily as Lovino screamed at him in a whisper. Neither wanted to alert the boys inside of what was going on.

"Fritz, do I have to?" Gilbert whined. It was cold outside. Far too cold for his meager jacket. Although it was fairly warm during the day, when the night came it seemed that the ground gave up all warmth and relinquished it back to the sky. There would be no warmth for Gilbert unless the Jones-Williams boys decided to take pity on him. "Why couldn't Artie do it?"

"Because. Arthur is too busy speaking with the Magpies and the Ursuls to do this. And besides, you had nothing else going on this night. Right?" Fritz fixed his albino grandson with a stare. Gilbert replied with a grumble, a sinking deeper into his seat, and then facing a threat with a kick from the car he dove out the door. The car sped off, screeching tires and leaving a fresh, black-mark on the asphalt that Gilbert could clearly see despite pitiful light. With a sigh, he rubbed his head and picked himself up off the ground.

"Well, here goes nothing…" He sighed, and stretched. He couldn't reveal himself to Mattie, not yet… The scent coming from the house was delicious though.

* * *

Matthew heard the car speed off. He stared out the window, confused. There was nobody out there. Why had the car screeched off like that? In any case…

"MATTIE! BROSEF! THE FOODS DONE, YAH?" Alfred called down the stairs.

"Yeah Al. They're all done." Matthew called back, not quite as loud. He heard rapid stumbling down the stairs, and then a yelp. There was a brief silence, and then a loud crash. Worried, Matthew hurried out of the kitchen to ask what was going on. He saw Alfred sitting next to Matthew's favorite book stash from the library. The books were everywhere, pages open and bookmarks spread.

Matthew hadn't finished reading any of those yet.

With an angry smile and closed eyes, he heard Alfred chuckle nervously. Reaching to where he'd conveniently stashed Mr. Puck, Matthew opened his eyes. Alfred was trying to stand up quietly but quickly.

"Alfred… Mr. Puck wants to speak with you…" Matthew said in a sweet, innocent yet somehow demonic voice. Alfred's face paled, and he screamed and jumped out of the way as Matthew came at him.

* * *

"NO! NO NO OH GOD NO! PUT IT AWAY MATTIE! PLEASE NO! I'M SORRY! I SWEAR TO ALL THE GOD'S ABOVE, I AM SO SORRY! I DESERVE TO BE PUNISHED! _PUNISHED! NOT KILLED!_ WHAT'RE YOU GONNA SAY TO MOM AND DAD?! 'SORRY, I KILLED ALFRED BECAUSE HE TOPPLED MY STUPID, NERDY BOOK PILE'?! AHH!"

"ALFRED! GET YOUR STUPID ASS BACK HERE! I AM GOING TO BEAT IT INTO NEXT WEEK! AND THEN THE WEEK AFTER, YOU STUPID HOSER! HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT MY BOOKS?!"

"I-I-I WAS KI-KIDDING! NO! MATTIE, KEEP AWAY! MOM'S LAMP IS-"

"-AND I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO-"

"-BUT MOM AND DAD SAID THAT-"

"-WE'VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION-"

"-DON'T SWING LIKE THA-AAAHHHHH!"

"-AND QUITE RUNNING AWAY YOU STUPID COWARD! WHAT WAS ALL THAT ABOUT BEING A HERO?!"

"I AM A HERO! BUT HEROS KNOW WHEN THEY'RE BEAT! AND WHEN THEY'RE ABOUT TO DIE AN UNFAIR, UNREASONABLE DEATH FROM THEIR YOUNGER, ANGER-ISSUE BROTHERS!"

Gilbert listened to this conversation with a chuckle. He could hear Matthew's voice, and it made him laugh at how vocal the kid suddenly was. A peculiar cheep to his right made him turn. There, in front of his face hovering, was his dear Gilbird.

"Hey buddy. What're you doin' out here? Aren't you supposed to be home with that bear?" He asked quietly. Gilbird peeped in reply and flew over to settle onto Gilbert's hair. "Right. Got it. You gotta help with this, bud. The Rock Doves can be quite nasty, thanks to how the humans treat them. It'll be nice to have you to speak with them as well. They do seem to like Canaries. Probably 'cause they're so dull and you guys are so pretty."

* * *

Matthew woke up with no recollection of the night before. He was wearing only his boxers, and the first thing he saw was Alfred's foot in front of his face. With a growl and a smirk, he grabbed the ankle quickly. Then, without warning as he felt Alfred begin to shift, he locked the ankle in one hand and began tickling the foot in the other. Alfred gasped and began to flail. With a sneaky smirk, Matthew had him moving over so that when he tried to once again kick at Matthew, he fell off the bed with a loud _thunk!_

Matthew doubled over laughing, tears coming from his eyes. Alfred lay on the floor for a few moments, and then sat up and glared at his brother as he rubbed his head.

"Not cool, Mattie." Alfred snarled.

"Not cool, Allie, but totally funny."

"Ugh. Now you sound like Feliks. What did I tell you about hanging out with him?"

Matthew stood up on his bed and struck a pose like a fashion model. He put one hand in his hair and the other on his boxer-clad hip, tossing his head with a disdainful frown.

"He told me that I look, and I quote, "_Totally fabulous! Your body is just so right for a man dress! How did I, like, totally not see it before? Dude, we are gonna so make you a beauty queen! I think you'd look good in red and black. You can't have pink, it's like, totally my color. But, like, white and red and black. Oh yeah, I can see it now baby. You are so gonna totally rule the school!'_ And then he proceeded to dress me up like a male Barbie, only in a dress." Matthew looked down to give Alfred a snotty look, barely containing his laughter. Alfred was already laughing, trying to watch his brother. "And you know what, Allie?"

"No, Mattie, what?" Alfred chuckled. In reply, Matthew grinned and struck another pose. He stuck out his hip, put one hand on, put the other down, and bent his body. He turned his head up, making his hair fall back.

"I looked _damn sexy_ as a woman! Even sexier than you could!" He said proudly. Alfred cracked up. Given as his brother was wearing nothing but boxers, and talking about their cross-dressing friend putting him into a dress, it was all quite amusing.

"I bet I'd look better in a dress if I was there!" Alfred challenged. Matthew perked up with a smile.

"I doubt it. I'm too sexy for my dress."

"Too sexy for my dress."

"Too sexy for me dress,

""FELIKS IS GOING TO LEAVE MEEE!"" The screamed in unison, beginning to cackle again. Matthew flopped onto his bed. Alfred rolled on the floor.

"Jesus Christ in Heaven, Alfred. What the hell did we have to drink last night?" Matthew giggled, rolling over to the edge of the bed.

"Honestly? I think we had some hot chocolate… And put some of Mom's Crown Royal into it, maybe. But I could be wrong."

"At least it was the good stuff."

"Bull shit. Budweiser is better."

"Only 'cause they have Clydesdales. Therefore, not a viable reason for them to be better."

"Screw you."

"If you weren't my twin, maybe. Incest may be best, but not to me."

"Screw off."

"Hey. You're in my room. What do you think I use it for?"

"…EWWWW!"

Alfred ran out of the room screaming. Matthew just watched him run with a smirk on his face. He didn't need to go to the barn today. Fritz had told all the leasers that they had a day off. He had office work to do, as well as taking care of the polar beast that the police had decided to let stay. Matthew was forever grateful to Fritz for somehow managing to convince the police to let him keep the bear. He'd hugged the polar bear tightly, practically purring at how soft it still was. Fritz had even decided to let him name it.

Yesterday had, in spite of the morning's events, been a damn good day.

* * *

**Hmm... Yes... Matthew and Alfred are good brothers... FYI... That is pretty much how I joke around with my own friends at the barn. It's funny, 'cause of our age difference.**

**22 (barn owner, Lord Master Jedi) 16 (me, Reese's Pieces) 15 (Mtn Dew) adn 13 (Smurf)**

**And let me tell you. No. Topic. Is. Sacred.**

**I have a feeling that Matt and Al are like that. Bros, ya know?**


End file.
